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Craftsman Audio Books: unabridged recordings of fiction for listeners of all ages

Craftsman Audio Books produce unabridged recordings of fiction for listeners of all ages. Every title added is the result of a very careful process of selection.  The emphasis is on quality not quantity.  This is no corporate sausage factory where producers are indifferent to the books they are recording. In the years that Craftsman Audio Books have been publishing they have only ever adapted books that they care passionately about, and these are books with strength of writing that marks them out immediately.  By combining this writing with a wonderful group of actors they are able to produce audio books that demonstrate a clear understanding of what the author is trying to achieve. Craftsman Audio Books are proud to be different.

Craftsman Audio Books was founded in the 1990s as a family company, and is now an associate of the Pelican Group of Companies. Publisher Tim Cook began his career producing radio commercials and later founded the audio list at Orchard Books working with many of the industry’s best-known readers on productions integrating sound effects, music and songs. In total, Tim has 20 years experience in book publishing, editing numerous titles. His devotion to the audio book medium is reflected in the care with which each Craftsman title is produced

All new Craftsman titles include a bonus Data CD containing profiles of the author and the reader, a detailed Track Listing cross-referenced with page numbers of the original book, as well as details of other titles available including trailers. Original music has always been a feature of their titles; as important to their recordings as the cover design is to a printed book. Currently Craftsman Audio Books are commissioning music from the East Anglian composer Leigh Odlin who’s atmospheric and richly-textured orchestral pieces add a new dimension to many of our recent recordings including Catherine Fisher’s Snow-Walker Trilogy.

Craftsman Audio Books selects its readers with great care – you could almost say that they were the Craftsman rep company. Not only is each one a highly accomplished audio book reader (a very rare and special skill in itself), they have also worked extensively in theatre, television and film. We look for actors who bring subtlety, nuance and, where it is needed, humour to our recordings.

http://www.craftsmanaudio.co.uk/

Posted: February 6th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books

Audio-book Review: Farmer Giles of Ham, read by Sir Derek Jacobi

Many may be forgiven for thinking that JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit, then after taking a breath The Lord of the Rings, and then called it a day. These two works are known in every corner of the world and overshadowed everything that Tolkien penned both before and after. It is easy to forget that the great Professor also wrote other delightful stories, not least Leaf by Niggle and the book that we are reviewing here, Farmer Giles of Ham.

Our book review of The Hobbit
Our book review of The Lord of the Rings

This was not my first experience of Farmer Giles of Ham in the audio format as, many moons ago, I had a copy on tape with the unmistakable voice of Brian Blessed voicing the lead. Sadly, both tape and the means of playing it are no longer open to me so I downloaded another version, this time narrated by Fantasy Book Review favourite, Derek Jacobi.

Farmer Giles of Ham is full of wit and humour, set in the days when giants and dragons walked the earth. He did not look like a hero. He was fat and red-bearded and enjoyed a slow, comfortable life. Then one day a rather deaf and short-sighted giant blundered on to his land. More by luck than skill, Farmer Giles managed to scare him away. The people of the village cheered: Farmer Giles was a hero. His reputation spread far and wide across the kingdom. So it was natural that when the dragon Chrysophylax visited the area it was Farmer Giles who was expected to do battle with it!

This is a simple medieval fable of unexpected heroism told with great aplomb by Derek Jacobi. The farmer and the dragon may be those around whom the story unfolds but it is Giles’s cowardly dog Garm that steals the show with his wheedling ways and the touching devotion and pride he shows for his master.

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Sir Derek George Jacobi CBE is an English actor and film director, knighted in 1994 for his services to theatre. Like Laurence Olivier, he bears the distinction of holding two knighthoods, Danish and British. He is regarded to have one of the most outstanding speaking voices ever, with studied tonality and an exceptional elocution in drama.

Posted: January 18th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, JRR Tolkien

Audio-book review: The Runes of the Earth read by Anton Lesser

Synopsis
In 1977, Stephen Donaldson changed the face of epic fantasy with the publication of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. Thomas Covenant is struck down with a disease believed eradicated; he is abandoned by his wife and son and becomes a pariah. Alone and despairing, Covenant falls, and is drawn into a mysterious new world, where gentle people work magic and the earth itself brings healing. He is welcomed as the reincarnation of a legendary saviour, but Covenant refuses to believe. At the end of the sixth book, as Covenant battles to save the world, he is killed, in both worlds, as Dr. Linden Avery, his horrified companion, looks on.

It’s 10 years later, and Linden Avery thought she would never see the Land, or Covenant, again. But Lord Foul has stolen her adopted son, and is unmaking the very laws of nature. And though she believes Covenant dead, he keeps sending Linden messages: "Find me", and "Don’t trust me". The Land is in turmoil, and Lord Foul has plans for them all.

Review
This audio-book proved to be tough-going. Reading the original books was also tough-going but they had the redemptive quality of being ultimately highly rewarding. I am afraid The Runes of the Earth is simply tough-going.

If pushed to name the one thing that I found most annoying about this audio-book I would have to go with the overly dramatic moments that plagued it. You could almost visualise an exclamation mark ever paragraph – Foul, you bastard! How could he! The Land is dying! I’ve forgotten to brush my teeth! etc… etc…

Added to this, Linden Avery cuts a rather unsympathetic and annoying lead, and Anele is a nerve-grating addition to the cast.

Anton Lesser struggles manfully, his stock narrative voice excellent but his portrayal of individual characters not quite as strong. I’m afraid that this audio-book and The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are just not for me, which is a shame considering that the original six books are works that I will always remember fondly.

There is, however, an excellent and fascinating interview with Stephen Donaldson after the reading has finished.

About the author and narrator
Stephen R. Donaldson came to prominence in 1977 with the The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, a story that centred around a leper shunned by society and his trials and tribulations as his destiny unfolds. These books established Stephen Donaldson as one of the most important figures in modern fantasy fiction.

British actor Anton Lesser has played many of the principal Shakespearian roles for the Royal Shakespeare Company, including Petruchio, Romeo and Richard III. He is also very active in radio and spoken word audio and is particularly known for the major novels of Charles Dickens, with Great Expectations winning the Talkie Award.

Posted: January 16th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Stephen Donaldson

Audiobook and eBook downloads experience record growth

OverDrive, the eBook and audiobook distributor, announced significant milestones in library download circulation and web traffic in 2009. Patrons at more than 10,000 libraries worldwide viewed 401 million download website pages and checked out 8.7 million eBook, audiobook, music and video titles, both of which are all-time highs.

In 2009, this substantial increase in usage as a result of the growing popularity of eBooks, iPod-compatibility for nearly all audiobooks in its catalogue, and new mobile initiatives for wireless downloading, among other enhancements.

Key statistics and milestones include: 

• 401 million website pages viewed by library patrons (69 percent growth over 2008) and 8.7 million
• digital titles checked out (63 percent increase over 2008) — 4 billion minutes of spoken word audio
• downloaded from library websites — 70 percent increase in audiobook checkouts over 2008, while eBook
• checkouts increased by 53 percent — 40 percent increase in new library users over 2008 — The OverDrive
• digital catalogue for libraries grew to 300,000 titles with the addition of 100,000 eBooks, 27,000
• audiobooks, and 4,000 music and video titles — Using new Facebook® and Twitter(TM) sharing features,
• library users shared what they were downloading from their library thousands of times — OverDrive
• launched mobile versions of nearly all library download websites and released audiobook apps for Windows

Dan Brown’s international blockbuster “The Lost Symbol” was the most downloaded adult fiction audiobook and eBook of 2009 from the library. Titles from Stephenie Meyer, Malcolm Gladwell, and Barack Obama were also among the most downloaded books from the library in 2009.

Top five titles in each adult category include:

Most Downloaded Adult Fiction Audiobooks from the Library (2009)

1. “The Lost Symbol,” Dan Brown
2. “The Host,” Stephenie Meyer
3. “The Associate,” John Grisham
4. “Atlas Shrugged,” Ayn Rand
5. “The 8th Confession,” James Patterson

Most Downloaded Adult Fiction eBooks from the Library (2009)

1. “The Lost Symbol,” Dan Brown
2. “Devil in Winter,” Lisa Kleypas
3. “Again the Magic,” Lisa Kleypas
4. “Because You are Mine,” Lisa Kleypas
5. “Dreaming of You,” Lisa Kleypas

Most Downloaded Adult Nonfiction Audiobooks from the Library (2009)

1. “25 Things to Say to the Interviewer to Get the Job You Want,” Dexter Hawk
2. “Outliers,” Malcolm Gladwell
3. “Blink,” Malcolm Gladwell
4. “Three Cups of Tea,” Greg Mortenson
5. “The 4-Hour Work Week,” Timothy Ferriss

Most Downloaded Adult Nonfiction eBooks from the Library (2009)

1. “Blink,” Malcolm Gladwell
2. “The 100 Simple Secrets of Successful People,” David Niven
3. “Marley & Me,” John Grogan
4. “Dreams from My Father,” Barack Obama
5. “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Daniel G. Amen

Posted: January 15th, 2010
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books

The Tombs of Atuan (unabridged) read by Karen Archer

Synopsis
In the legends of Earthsea, it is said that the wizard and king Erreth-Akbe was defeated by the high priest of the Kargad lands, and his amulet of power, bearing the rune of bonding, was broken and was lost.

Now, in the second book of Earthsea, the wizard Sparrowhawk enters the menacing labyrinth of the Tombs of Atuan to regain the amulet, and restore the rune which will bring peace to all of the islands of Earthsea.

Yet the labyrinth has a guardian, a young princess called Arha, whose life is dedicated to the the dark spirits who inhabit the tombs. She is determined that Sparrowhawk will meet the fate the befell Erreth-Akbe long ago.

Review
The Tombs of Atuan follows on from A Wizard of Earthsea but there is a distinctly different feel to the story. Featuring a predominantly female cast and set mainly in the location of the Tombs it is a departure from its predecessor. Those expecting simply more of Sparrowhawk and his voyages will be in for a surprise. Ursula Le Guin again shows the power of names introduced in A Wizard of Earthsea, and the themes of light and shadow, good and evil are again evident. It is a courageous and compelling sequel.

Karen Archer’s narration is first-rate and her pacing and delivery are once again perfect.

About the reader
To all of her performances, Karen Archer brings a seamless fluidity and humanity combined with precision  and attention to detail. These qualities have made her a familiar voice in the many documentaries she has recorded for National Geographic and Discovery Channel. Karen has made numerous broadcasts for BBC Radio, twice being a member of BBC Radio Drama Company. Her work in the theatre includes classics such as Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts and contemporary roles such as Annie Wilkes in an adaptation of Steven King’s novel Misery. Her extensive  television work has included Assistant Chief Constable Anne Stewart in the police drama series The Chief and Queen Elizabeth I in David Starkey’s acclaimed historical series, Elizabeth.

Karen has read a biography of Queen Elizabeth I for Naxos Audio Books. For Craftsman, she has also recorded the complete Snow-Walker trilogy by renowned fantasy author Catherine Fisher and the critically-acclaimed recording of Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea. Karen says of its sequel, The Tombs of Atuan:

“Ursula Le Guin’s evocation of atmosphere and place is quite breathtaking. But it is her overriding belief in the enduring goodness of one human spirit in the face of evil that is at the core of this book, connecting Earthsea to the here-and-now.’’

About the author
Ursula K. Le Guin was born Ursula Kroeber in 1929 in Berkeley, California. Her mother was a writer and her father an anthropologist. Her childhood was spent in a household filled with talk, argument and discussion surrounded by books, music and story-telling. As the only daughter in her family, the absence of her 3 elder brothers during World War Two made the summers at home lonely ones. Yet she considers those long days as a teenager, wandering the hills, of great importance: ‘I think I started making my soul then’ Ursula says. With a love of languages, she studied French and Italian literature at Radcliffe College. In 1953, in Paris, she married the historian Charles A. Le Guin. A very private person, Ursula Le Guin has three children, three grandchildren and lives in Portland, Oregon.

She has published six books of poetry, twenty novels, over a hundred short stories, four collections of essays, eleven books for children, and four volumes of translation and says of the work of authorship: “Writing is my craft. I honour it deeply. To have a craft, to be able to work at it, is to be honoured by it.”

The books in the Earthsea cycle were first published to great acclaim in 1968 with A Wizard of Earthsea. Millions of copies have subsequently been sold and the books have been translated into 16 languages. Ursula says:

“Exploring the Archipelago, discovering the rules of magic and what happens when you break them, the things I learned in Earthsea and the people I met there – that’s been a great part of my life for nearly forty years. And a great part of the joy of it is knowing that I share it with my readers.”

Posted: December 24th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Ursula Le Guin

Twilight rules audio-book downloads at Christmas

A glance at the best-selling science fiction and fantasy downloads on Audible.co.uk shows that Stephenie Meyer’s enormous popularity is also evident amongst those who like to listen to a good story. Twilight and New Moon list #1 and #2 respectively, with Eclipse and Breaking Dawn coming in at #4 and #5. If not for Terry Pratchett and the audio version of Unseen Academicals Meyer would have claimed a Beatles-esque dominance over the top 10.

1. Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1 (Unabridged)
2. New Moon: The Twilight Saga, Book 2 (Unabridged)
3. Unseen Academicals: Discworld #32 (Unabridged)
4. Eclipse: The Twilight Saga, Book 3 (Unabridged)
5. Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga, Book 4 (Unabridged)
6. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Unabridged)
7. And Another Thing…: Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: Part Six of Three (Unabridged)
8. Under the Dome (Unabridged)
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Unabridged)
10. The Gathering Storm: Wheel of Time, Book 12 (Unabridged)

An exciting new audiobook has also appeared on the site with Robin Hobb’s Dragon Keeper, read by Saskia Butler, now available for download. Here’s the synopsis:

Guided by the great blue dragon Tintaglia, they came from the sea: a Tangle of serpents fighting their way up the Rain Wilds River, the first to make the perilous journey to the cocooning grounds in generations. Many have died along the way. With its acid waters and impenetrable forest, it is a hard place for any to survive.

People are changed by the Rain Wilds, subtly or otherwise. One such is Thymara. Born with black claws and other aberrations, she should have been exposed at birth. But her father saved her and her mother has never forgiven him. Like everyone else, Thymara is fascinated by the return of dragons: it is as if they symbolise the return of hope to their war-torn world. Leftrin, captain of the liveship Tarman, also has an interest in the hatching; as does Bingtown newlywed, Alise Finbok, who has made it her life’s work to study all there is to know of dragons.

But the creatures which emerge from the cocoons are a travesty of the powerful, shining dragons of old. Stunted and deformed, they cannot fly; some seem witless and bestial. Soon, they become a danger and a burden to the Rain Wilders: something must be done. The dragons claim an ancestral memory of a fabled Elderling city far upriver: perhaps there the dragons will find their true home. But Kelsingra appears on no maps and they cannot get there on their own: a band of dragon keepers, hunters and chroniclers must attend them.

To be a dragon keeper is a dangerous job: their charges are vicious and unpredictable, and there are many unknown perils on the journey to a city which may not even exist…

Posted: December 23rd, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Brandon Sanderson, Stephenie Meyer, Terry Pratchett

Audio Book Review: Why the Whales Came by Michael Morpurgo, read by Virginia McKenna

Synopsis
Rushy Bay was forbidden territory to Gracie and Daniel. And not just because of the currents; the Birdman lived there. Gracie brings the curse of Samson Island on her own family. It is only the Birdman who can avert the tragedy.

Narrator: Virginia McKenna
Length: 4 hours and 16 min.

Review
Michael Morpurgo’s enchanting tale of friendship, war, legends and curses is set amongst the raw and wild beauty of The Isles of Scilly. This wonderful story carries echoes of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and is adeptly narrated by Virginia McKenna whose regional accents are accurate and warm. Her reading captures the setting superbly and her pacing and delivery are both spot on.

Why the Whales came is a delight yet another example of what a good author Morpurgo is.

About the narrator
In 1956, Virginia McKenna won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film A Town like Alice and two years later was nominated for Best Actress again for her role as the World War II SOE agent Violette Szabo in Carve Her Name with Pride.

However, McKenna is best remembered for her 1966 role as Joy Adamson in the true-life film Born Free for which she received a nomination for a Golden Globe. Bill Travers, her real life husband, co-starred with her, portraying conservationist George Adamson, and the experience led them to become active supporters for wild animal rights and the protection of their natural habitat.

For her services to wildlife and to the arts, in 2004 McKenna was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire. In March 2009 Virginia McKenna published her memoir The Life in My Years.

Her audiobook work also includes The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

About the author
Born in 1943 Michael Morpurgo describes himself as ‘oldish’. Married to Clare, father to three children and grandfather to six he has written over 100 titles for children over the course of his career. Honoured with an MBE in 1999 then Children’s Laureate from 2003-2005 and recipient of an OBE in 2006, Morpurgo is also a patron of countless charities, and in 1976 began, with his wife, the Farms For City Children charity which aims to relieve the experience of poverty in inner cities and urban areas by giving children the opportunity to live and work on a real farm for a week.

Posted: December 17th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Michael Morpurgo

Audio Book Review: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud, read by Steven Pacey

I had not come across the name of Steven Pacey before. He has now been added to my list of favourite voice actors, alongside Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Derek Jacobi, Simon Prebble and Roy Dotrice.

Pacey narrates Jonathan Stroud’s Amulet of Samarkand with perfect pace, using an assortment of excellent and appropriate accents. But most importantly of all he manages to inject a delightful sense of humour – that is now a Stroud trademark – into the narrative.

Pacey does of course have the perfect material on which to use his skills. When the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus is summoned by Nathaniel, a young magician’s apprentice, he expects to have to do nothing more taxing than a little levitation or a few simple illusions. But Nathaniel is a precocious talent and has something rather more dangerous in mind: revenge. Against his will, Bartimaeus is packed off to steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and ambition. Before long, both djinni and apprentice are caught up in a terrifying flood of magical intrigue, murder and rebellion. The Amulet of Samarkand is an absorbing tale of magicians and demons, a Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell for the younger reader.

This is one of the very best fantasy audio books. The book was written by a highly skilled author and now read by a highly skilled actor. Bartimaeus is one of the finest additions to the fantasy genre in recent years and Pacey’s portrayal of the irascible djinni is perfect. This audio book is very highly recommended, one of the very best.

Jonathan Stroud was born in Bedford and grew up in St Albans. He always had a burning desire to write a full-length work of fiction which he would have wanted to read when he was younger, and so after graduating from York University he embarked on a publishing and writing career in the game book and non-fiction department at Walker Books. He moved to Kingfisher Publications to edit children’s non-fiction, and for a time juggled working with writing; but Jonathan is now a full-time writer.

Steven Pacey is an English actor who was nominated for an Olivier Award for his role of Bertie Wooster in the musical By Jeeves. Other West End stage appearances include Dolly West’s Kitchen, The Room, Celebration, The Birthday Party, Things We Do For Love, Phantom of the Opera, Exclusive, The Admirable Crichton, High Society, West Side Story, Mr. Cinders and Godspell.

Posted: October 16th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Jonathan Stroud

Best selling sci-fi/fantasy audio-books – October 2009 – Audible.co.uk

October 2009 sees some exciting new audio books enter the top 10. Not content with having the #1 spot Audrey Niffenegger now has another title winging its way towards with top with Her Fearful Symmetry entering at #10. Iain Banks’s Transition enters the list in an impressive 2^nd place while Terry Pratchett’s 37^th Discworld novel Unseen Academicals is already proving very popular.

1. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Unabridged) by Audrey Niffenegger
2. Transition (Unabridged) by Iain Banks
3. Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1 (Unabridged) by Stephenie Meyer
4. The Year of the Flood (Unabridged) by Margaret Atwood
5. New Moon: The Twilight Saga, Book 2 (Unabridged) by Stephenie Meyer
6. Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga, Book 4 (Unabridged) by Stephenie Meyer
7. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Unabridged) by Susanna Clarke
8. Dune (Unabridged) by Frank Herbert
9. Unseen Academicals: Discworld #37 by Terry Pratchett
10. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Here is a little bit more information about the new entries Transition, The Year of the Flood and Her Fearful Symmetry.

Transition, by Iain Banks; narrated by Peter Kenny

A world that hangs suspended between triumph and catastrophe, between the dismantling of the Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers, frozen in the shadow of suicide terrorism and global financial collapse, such a world requires a firm hand and a guiding light. But does it need the Concern: an all-powerful organisation with a malevolent presiding genius, pervasive influence and numberless invisible operatives in possession of extraordinary powers?

On the Concern’s books are Temudjin Oh, an un-killable assassin who journeys between the peaks of Nepal, a version of Victorian London and the dark palaces of Venice; and a nameless, faceless torturer known only as the Philosopher. And then there’s the renegade Mrs Mulverhill, who recruits rebels to her side; and Patient 8262, hiding out from a dirty past in a forgotten hospital ward.

As these vivid, strange and sensuous worlds circle and collide, the implications of turning traitor to the Concern become horribly apparent, and an unstable universe is set on a dizzying course.

The Year of the Flood, by Margaret Atwood; narrated by Lorelei King

Adam One, the kindly leader of the God’s Gardeners – a religion devoted to the melding of science and religion, the preservation of all species, and the tending of the Earth – has long predicted the Waterless Flood. Now it has occurred, obliterating most human life.

Two women have avoided it: the young trapeze-dancer, Ren, locked into the high-end sex club; and former SecretBurgers meat-slinger turned Gardener, Toby, barricaded into a luxurious spa. Have others survived? And what are the odds for the human race?

By turn’s dark, tender, violent, thoughtful, and uneasily hilarious, The Year of the Flood is Atwood at her most effective.

Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger; narrated by Sian Thomas

Julia and Valentina Poole are normal American teenagers – normal, at least, for identical ‘mirror’ twins who have no interest in college or jobs or possibly anything outside their cosy suburban home. But everything changes when they receive notice that an aunt whom they didn’t know existed has died and left them her flat in an apartment block overlooking Highgate Cemetery in London. They feel that at last their own lives can begin…but have no idea that they’ve been summoned into a tangle of fraying lives, from the obsessive-compulsive crossword setter who lives above them to their aunt’s mysterious and elusive lover who lives below them, and even to their aunt herself, who never got over her estrangement from the twins’ mother – and who can’t even seem to quite leave her flat….

With Highgate Cemetery itself a character and echoes of Henry James and Charles Dickens, Her Fearful Symmetry is a delicious and deadly 21st-century ghost story about Niffenegger’s familiar themes of love, loss, and identity. It is certain to cement her standing as one of the most singular and remarkable novelists of our time.

Posted: October 15th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Stephenie Meyer, Susanna Clarke, Terry Pratchett

Best selling sci-fi/fantasy audio-books – September 2009 – Audible.co.uk

September 2009 sees Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series still maintaining a stranglehold on the top 10 sci-fi/fantasy audio-book downloads, as listed by Audible.co.uk.

Fantasy Book Review favourite Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke), read by Simon Prebble, is still performing well (we were so impressed we interviewed Mr Prebble and asked him all about it).  Two new entries are The Hobbit and Good Omens. Most will be familiar with the highly enjoyable BBC Adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit but this version is read by Martin Shaw, the narrator who did such a fine job on The Silmarillion. He has once again proven that his dulcet tones are perfectly suited to Tolkien’s prose. Good Omens marked a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman; it is a very amusing novel read here by Stephen Briggs.

Here is the top 10:

1. The Time Traveler’s Wife (Unabridged) Audrey Niffenegger
2. The Strain: Book One of the Strain Trilogy (Unabridged)
3. Twilight: The Twilight Saga, Book 1 (Unabridged)
4. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (Unabridged)
5. New Moon: The Twilight Saga, Book 2 (Unabridged)
6. Dune (Unabridged)
7. Breaking Dawn: The Twilight Saga, Book 4 (Unabridged)
8. Eclipse: The Twilight Saga, Book 3 (Unabridged)
9. The Hobbit
10. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (Unabridged)

The title that really caught our eye was Guillermo del Toro’s The Stain. Although not what you might class as fantasy – it’s more horror -  the synopsis is captivating and this could well be our next download. It is narrated by Ron Perlman of Hellboy fame. Here is the blurb:

A plane lands at JFK and mysteriously ‘goes dark’, stopping in the middle of the runway for no apparent reason, all lights off, all doors sealed. The pilots cannot be raised.

When the hatch above the wing finally clicks open, it quickly becomes clear that everyone on board is dead – although there is no sign of any trauma or struggle. Ephraim Goodweather and his team from the Center for Disease Control must work quickly to establish the cause of this strange occurrence before panic spreads.

The first thing they discover is that four of the victims are actually still alive. But that’s the only good news. And when all 200 corpses disappear from various morgues around the city on the same night, things very rapidly get worse. Soon Eph and a small band of helpers will find themselves battling to protect not only their own loved ones, but the whole city, against an ancient threat to humanity.

Pretty good eh?

Audible.co.uk have over 30,000 titles from classics to crime, sci-fi to languages, self-help, biographies, comedy and more. From their offices in Chiswick they search far and wide for the best audio-books available.

Check back in October when we will see if Twilight still rules the audio-world!

Posted: September 7th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Audio-books, Neil Gaiman, Stephenie Meyer, Susanna Clarke, Terry Pratchett